Well, the press release that just landed in my inbox doesn't lack for fodder. We'll cover the nuts and bolts first, then deal with some analysis. Pedro Martinez will make his Phillies debut on Wednesday at Wrigley Field. To make room for him in the rotation, the club has informed veteran lefthander Jamie Moyer that he will be pitching out of the bullpen for the forseeable future. Also, J.A. Happ will pitch tomorrow night on his normal turn in the rotation, bumping Cliff Lee back until Thursday. Lee could have started on normal rest tomorrow. Instead, he'll start on six days rest on Thursday. That leaves Joe Blanton pitching Friday against the Braves, although the press release did not specifically say that, and Cole Hamels pitching Saturday on an extra day's rest.

Oh, and by the way, Chad Durbin was activated from the disabled list, while Rodrigo Lopez was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Now. . .some thoughts.

1) It looks to me like the Phillies went with the schedule that would keep all of their pitchers closest to their normal turn in the rotation. Happ will be pitching on five days rest, Martinez on six days rest, Lee on six days rest, Blanton on five days rest, and Hamels on five days rest.

2) Moyer to the bullpen is an interesting move. The Phillies have said all along that they don't view Moyer as a reliever. But just because he is in the "bullpen" doesn't mean he will be utilized as a normal reliever. Hey, there's a good chance they tell him to prepare as if he were starting every five days, making him available each time Martinez pitches. Who knows.

3) My initial reaction was curious, seeing as though the Phils bumped Lee back to Thursday. But now that I look at the schedule, it makes sense. By pitching him on Thursday, he won't be available this weekend in Atlanta for a big series against the Braves, but he will get to face them at Citizens Bank Park at the end of August. Had he pitched Tuesday, Lee would have missed that second series against the Braves. So Lee gets the same number of starts, faces the Braves the same number of times, and nobody in the rotation has an extended layoff.